assay

/ˌæˈseɪ/

Other forms: assayed; assays; assaying

An assay is a breakdown of a material, examining the individual parts that make up the whole. When you assay a situation, you look at all the elements that created the problem in order to come up with a solution.

The word assay comes from the French word essai, which means "trial," an appropriate sense for a word that means to examine for analysis. As a noun, assay means a test or appraisal to determine the components of a substance or object. As a verb, it refers to the act of analyzing, or of conducting that test. It is usually used in chemistry-related fields like metallurgy and pharmaceuticals, but you can also assay a poem.

Definitions of assay

1. noun

   a quantitative or qualitative test of a substance (especially an ore or a drug) to determine its components; frequently used to test for the presence or concentration of infectious agents or antibodies etc.
   types:

   ELISA, enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay

   an assay that relies on an enzymatic conversion reaction and is used to detect the presence of specific substances (such as enzymes or viruses or antibodies or bacteria)

   immunohistochemistry

   an assay that shows specific antigens in tissues by the use of markers that are either fluorescent dyes or enzymes (such as horseradish peroxidase)

   diagnostic assay, diagnostic test

   an assay conducted for diagnostic purposes

   bio-assay, bioassay

   appraisal of the biological activity of a substance by testing its effect on an organism and comparing the result with some agreed standard

   immunoassay, immunochemical assay

   identification of a substance (especially a protein) by its action as an antigen

   biopsy

   examination of tissues or liquids from the living body to determine the existence or cause of a disease

   cloze procedure, cloze test

   a test for diagnosing reading ability; words are deleted from a prose passage and the reader is required to fill in the blanks

   faecal occult test, fecal occult test, stool test

   a test performed at home in which you collect specimens of your stool that are tested for traces of blood; used to detect colorectal cancers

   GI series

   diagnostic tests of the alimentary canal; usually involves inserting a contrast medium (such as barium sulfate) and taking an X-ray

   glucose tolerance test

   test of the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates; used in the diagnosis of hypoglycemia and diabetes mellitus

   Pap test, Papanicolaou test, smear test

   a method of examining stained cells in a cervical smear for early diagnosis of uterine cancer

   PKU test

   a test of newborn infants for phenylketonuria

   pregnancy test

   a physiological test to determine whether a woman is pregnant

   Queckenstedt's test

   a test to determine whether there is a blockage of the spinal canal

   radioactive iodine test

   test of thyroid function in which the patient is given an oral dose of radioactive iodine-131

   Rubin test

   test to determine the patency or occlusion of the Fallopian tubes

   skin test

   any test to determine immunity or sensitivity to a disease by introducing small amounts on or into the skin

   tissue typing

   a series of diagnostic tests before an organ transplant to determine whether the tissues of a donor and recipient are compatible

   vital capacity

   the maximum amount of air that can be exhaled after a maximum inhalation (usually tested with a spirometer); used to determine the condition of lung tissue

   type of:

   run, test, trial

   the act of testing something
2. noun

   a substance that is undergoing an analysis of its components
   type of:

   substance

   a particular kind or species of matter with uniform properties
3. noun

   a written report of the results of an analysis of the composition of some substance
   type of:

   report, study, written report

   a written document describing the findings of some individual or group
4. noun

   an appraisal of the state of affairs
   “they made an assay of the contents”

   synonyms: check

   types:

   countercheck, double check

   something that checks the correctness of a previous check

   Apgar score

   an assessment of the physical condition of a newborn infant; involves heart rate and muscle tone and respiratory effort and color and reflex responsiveness

   paternity test

   a test based on blood groups to determine whether a particular man could be the biological father of a particular child; negative results prove he was not the father but positive results show only that he could be

   stress test

   a test measuring how a system functions when subjected to controlled amounts of stress

   treadmill test

   a stress test in which the patient walks on a moving treadmill while the heart and breathing rates are monitored

   type of:

   appraisal, assessment

   the classification of someone or something with respect to its worth
5. verb

   analyze (chemical substances)
   types:

   bioassay

   subject to a bio-assay

   type of:

   analyse, analyze, canvass, delve, examine, parse, study

   consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
6. verb

   make an effort or attempt
   synonyms: attempt, essay, seek, try

   types:

   pick up the gauntlet, take a dare

   be dared to do something and attempt it

   fight, struggle

   make a strenuous or labored effort

   give it a try, have a go

   make an attempt at something

   grope

   search blindly or uncertainly

   endeavor, endeavour, strive

   attempt by employing effort

   give it a try, give it a whirl

   try

   adventure, chance, gamble, hazard, risk, run a risk, take a chance, take chances

   take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

   lay on the line, put on the line, risk

   expose to a chance of loss or damage

   strive, struggle

   exert strenuous effort against opposition

   drive, labor, labour, push, tug

   strive and make an effort to reach a goal

   flounder

   behave awkwardly; have difficulties

   be at pains, take pains

   try very hard to do something

   buck

   to strive with determination

   go for broke

   risk everything in one big effort

   luck it, luck through

   act by relying on one's luck

   adventure, hazard, jeopardize, stake, venture

   put at risk

   bell the cat

   take a risk; perform a daring act

   type of:

   act, move

   perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)